This league was formed by PAOLA, KC-WASHINGTON,
K.C.-TURNER and BONNER SPRINGS. PAOLA was an Independent and the other teams
came from the orginal KAW VALLEY organization that ended after the 1937- 1938
season. In 1938, the league was officially named the EAST CENTRAL KANSAS League - the name was
formally changed to EASTERN KANSAS LEAGUE (EKL) in 1939. This change may have been due to
the fact that a league already existed in the Shawnee County area known as the
ECL (East Central League).

In 1940 OSAWATOMIE entered the league. After the
1944-45 school year, PAOLA and OSAWATOMIE dropped out and competed as
Independents - WW II financial strain was cited as part of the reason. NEKL
refugee KC-ROSEDALE joined in 1945 after playing as an Independent in 1944. Another
former NEKL member, OLATHE, entered the club in 1947. PAOLA and OSAWATOMIE
returned to the fold in 1950 and 1951 respectively. The SUNFLOWER League succeeded
in luring away KC-WASHINGTON in 1954.

Ancient rivals PAOLA & OSAWATOMIE left the EKL for good
in 1960 and played as Independents for many years. Two more NEKL teams joined
the organization - K.C.-ARGENTINE (1960) and OTTAWA (1962). The closing of K.C.-ARGENTINE and
K.C.-ROSEDALE in 1972 left the league with 5 members in
1973: BONNER SPRINGS, K.C.-TURNER, OTTAWA, OLATHE and new member S.M.-MIEGE. The league would move towards an Overland Park center in the
years to follow. BLUE VALLEY (aka STILLWELL-BLUE VALLEY) was a consolidated
school that was rapidly gaining population - they were admitted in 1979. The
Olathe population had increased to the point that a new school was needed -
OLATHE SOUTH was added in 1981. The old school would continue in the league as
OLATHE NORTH.

OTTAWA left the group after the 1986-87 school year. Another
new school, O.P.-BLUE VALLEY NORTH replaced that loss for the 1987 season. A major
shift took place in 1989 when the Olathe schools bolted for the larger SUNFLOWER
League. At the same time, charter members BONNER SPRINGS & K.C.-TURNER
joined HURON League. Catholic school
O.P.-ST. THOMAS AQUINAS was recruited in
1989 to keep the league afloat. Current members are S.M.-MIEGE, STILWELL-BLUE
VALLEY, O.P.-ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, O.P.-BLUE VALLEY NORTH and two more
recently established schools -O.P.-BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (1994) and O.P.-BLUE VALLEY WEST (2001).

UPDATE: GARDNER-EDGERTON and new Overland Park school
O.P.-BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST gained league membership in 2010.